Maple Ridge artist showcases work in Fort Langley exhibit

Inside the quaint Fort Gallery in Fort Langley, Raeanne Schachter is set up for eight days to exhibit her work titled Dames: Women with Bodies.  

On all three walls, there is a series of artworks, mostly created in under 30 minutes. This is the first time Schachter is doing a live painting exhibit from August 1 to August 8. 

A full-time artist, her first exhibit (titled the same) at Places des Arts, Coquitlam was in January 2022 where she sold eight of her 16 pieces. But despite her past success, she came into this one with no expectations.  

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“I didn’t have any expectations because I haven’t done live painting and the work is different. As I’m working, I am realizing, I am not able to focus my shift from painting to talking as I had thought,” she shared.  

Live painting is a form of visual art in which an artist begins and finishes a piece in front of an audience, often accompanied by live music. The piece can be planned or improvised.  

The exhibit introduces viewers to a range of colours but one thing remains the same: a woman’s body.  

Her last exhibit had flat perspectives but these, in her words, are reckless.  

And in the process of creating these artworks, she is learning about colour theory and exploring colours she otherwise wouldn’t.  

The paintings burst with teal, bright yellows, green, grey and fluorescent shades. None of these paintings are realistic and that’s Schachter’s secret.  

“I cannot paint realistically. So, I’ve realized that a painting can be excellent and look great if all the elements of design and colour theory are followed. My work is not perfect but, it’s a journey to understanding yourself, people and the world,” she said. 

Art can often be intimidating because people are afraid to break the rules. But according to Raeanne, pushing yourself can be rewarding.  

Live painting has been a wholesome experience for her because she got to interact with people, chat with them and create art simultaneously, something she had never experienced before.  

This exhibit allowed her to include people in her artwork and also give back to those in need.  

On the first day of her exhibit, she greeted a tourist family and welcomed them in. She handed a paintbrush to the kids and she contributed to making the mouth of one of the paintings on display.  

She included a silent auction in her exhibit for a Ukrainian woman who fled the war and currently works at a salon.  

Although a resident of Maple Ridge, she hopes her next exhibit will be an abstract ode to her home in the Prairies.  

You can find her work at raeanneschachter.com